11 Eye Patches That’ll Make Monday Mornings Look a Little Less Rough

You'd think that by this point in time we'd have three-day weekends, but alas, it seems like we'll never reach the impossible dream. Instead, feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead is reserved for the smart people who head to bed at 9:30 P.M. every weeknight, while the rest of us chug caffeine and spellcheck every other sentence. The beauty world has come up with a solution: eye masks soaked in serum that promise to brighten our undereyes, smooth any fine lines, and deflate puffy bags in 20 minutes flat. Sound too good to be true? You haven't met the next gen of undereye patches. Glamour's editors took home the cream of the crop for testing and documented their Monday morning experiences. Scroll on for their honest reviews.

"I really wanted to feel like Catwoman in this thing, but as you can see from this photo, it doesn't exactly lay flat for a selfie. The way it leaves your eyes feeling afterward, though, more than makes up for it. It's super cooling both underneath your eyes and on the sides of it, thanks to the hydrogel consistency and seaweed extract in the serum. I only figured out after I took pictures that the weird undereye flaps can be worn over your eyes when they're closed—setting it apart from a regular sheet mask or eye patch—so you can really kick back and drift off for 15 minutes. It's the closest thing you'll get to actually sleeping for eight hours." —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor

"As NYC has become very cold and windy very fast, I've found myself with dry, flaky skin all over—my eye area included. I've been overdosing on eye cream, which hasn't seemed to fix the crepe-iness that has taken over my lower eyelids, so I was excited to try these masks. I have to admit that at first glance, I was a bit intimidated—they're super oily—but I left them on for the recommended five minutes, and then massaged the residue into my skin. The result? Surprisingly hydrated, plumped skin that doesn't look nearly as dry, tired, or in dire need of help as it did before." —Jillian Ruffo, contributing editor

"As a very extra person, the first eye patches I ever used were Peter Thomas Roth 24k Gold Eye Patches. They were luxurious, but for $75, I couldn't justify buying them again. I can now say the only thing more luxurious than having gold on your face is having your face feel like a cloud. Whenever I don't get seven to eight hours of sleep, I get dark circles that are especially prevalent because of my large eyes. My undereyes also tend to dry up when I don't sleep enough. After a week of barely any sleep, my dark circles were out of control, so I wore these eye patches before bed each day this weekend. The patches are super cool to the touch and incredibly relaxing to wear. After my initial use, I could see my undereye skin brightened too. They also helped depuff my eyes one morning while I was having an intense hangover, which means these are a necessity after a week of too much work, parties, or both." —Tara Gonzalez, associate commerce editor

"For whatever reason I'm prone to puffy undereyes whenever I'm tired, jet-lagged, or stressed. I try to combat this by drinking lots of water and getting a solid night's rest, but sometimes life just gets in the way. For times like those, I rely on undereye masks. I have a few go-tos (Wander Beauty is a personal fave), but I was really happy with the results from Sephora Collection's. I loved how nourishing they felt, and actually noticed a legitimate difference after using them. I kept them on for about 20 minutes, and—pro tip—popped them in the freezer a few minutes before putting them on for some extra depuffing action. Conclusion: I'd pay way more than $6 for them. Just don't tell that to Sephora." —Jennifer Lance, assistant editor

"Estée Lauder's Advance Night Repair Serum is one of those few legends that deliver on their promises. When you wear them consistently, it'll make your skin look plumper and more luminous. So when I say that these eye patches are an even more concentrated version of its serum and eye cream, that should tell you something. It says to leave them on for 10 minutes, but I've found that wearing them double the time reaps more benefits. It won't magically erase fine lines or darkness, but it does leave your eyes looking much more refreshed." —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

"After seeing these eye patches all over Instagram—like, all over—I was excited to try them out. Now I totally get why everyone is obsessed. The hyaluronic-acid-packed formula is so hydrating that the patches feel like clouds on your face. And the gold, while making you feel extra luxurious, also has functional benefits: The foil keeps the serum warm and prevents it from evaporating, so it's delivered deep into your skin. I left them on for 20 minutes after washing my face for the night and before applying my night cream, then I massaged the rest of the serum into my skin before going to bed. They don't do too much dark circles since the formula is all about soothing and hydration, but puffiness is another story." —Azadeh Valanejad, video producer

"I'm a night owl and insomniac, so perky is the last word I would use to describe my eyes. I rely on ridiculous amounts of concealer to hide my dark circles—and I’m also prone to allergies, and love salty food, so my eyes are often puffy and all-around tired-looking. I love undereye patches when I’m having a lazy morning, as the extra step helps to reduce any puffiness. E.l.f.'s patches are made of a thin clear film that really sticks to your eye area and doesn't budge, unlike most patches I've tried. They feel very cooling and soothing on, and the feeling lasted when I took them off after 10 minutes. I didn’t notice a huge visual difference, but my eyes felt refreshed and moisturized, and I would definitely reach for them again if I had an extra 10 minutes to calm and depuff." —Bella Cacciatore, beauty assistant

"My biggest concern is definitely darkness—I have a serious vampire vibe going. I've tried different concealers to mask the black bags that spring up under my eyes every morning, but since I'm not that great at makeup, it never really does the trick. These are so easy! Peel and stick them right on—voilà—the passion fruit extract goes to work to target any darkness. After 15 minutes I felt refreshed and slightly less puffy." —Sam Leach, assistant editor

"I have a confession—I don’t sleep as much as I should. But you don’t have to yell at me for it, because my eyes already do. Thankfully, these patches were so simple to use I could do them in my sleep. Seriously: I set a 20-minute alarm and fell asleep with them on. I woke up feeling like I'd actually had a full night's rest. Their cooling effect made me feel fresh and hydrated. I'd absolutely nap in these again." —Marla Goller, senior video producer

"My usual undereye strategy is to slap on some concealer (shout-out to Nars' Radiant Creamy Concealer) and hope I don’t look like death. So eye masks were a foreign concept to me. But wow, what was I waiting for? These ones rest in little trays, so they’re super easy to take out and apply. You only need to keep them on for 15 minutes, so I put them on while I brushed my teeth and picked out my outfit for the day. Thanks to the retinol and hyaluronic acid in these babies, I looked so much more awake, despite a case of insomnia the night before. No concealer needed." —Tess Kornfeld, editorial assistant

"It wasn't until I entered my late twenties that I started to notice my undereye area. Now I literally can't stop thinking about it. To be honest, I don't do much about it. I've tried some gels and serums but end up resorting to concealer. I love a face mask on a Sunday, but put these patches on instead. They felt cool on my skin and didn't disrupt me from going about my lazy afternoon. I didn't notice too much of a difference for puffiness, but definitely feel like they had a brightening effect. For only $4, I'm not complaining." —Sarah Olin, art director